Pascal Siakam scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Indiana closed the game on a 26-9 run to beat the Chicago Bulls 113-110 on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Andrew Nembhard added 18 points, nine assists and six rebounds for Indiana, which trailed 101-87 with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 105 with two minutes to go.
After the teams exchanged baskets, Nembhard’s jumper with 39.7 seconds left gave the Pacers their first lead since 10-8 early in the first quarter.
Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic hit a 3-pointer following a timeout before Indiana regained the lead at 111-110 on Aaron Nesmith’s layup with 13.9 seconds left.
After Coby White’s layup attempt was blocked by Nesmith, Johnny Furphy made two free throws to help Indiana win for just the second time in 32 games this season when trailing after three quarters.
Jarace Walker scored 16 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 15, Nesmith had 14, and Jay Huff chipped in 10 for the Pacers, who have won each of their first three meetings against Chicago this season.
Vucevic led the Bulls with 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Matas Buzelis added 20 points and eight boards, Ayo Dosunmu had 19 points, Coby White scored 14, and Jalen Smith recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench against his former team.
Josh Giddey contributed 10 points and seven assists for the Bulls, who lost their second straight following a four-game winning streak.
Chicago led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and held a 33-24 advantage at the end of the period.
Vucevic’s jumper put the Bulls ahead 49-40 with 3:03 left in the second quarter before the Pacers cut the deficit to 53-49 by halftime.
Buzelis had 15 points in the first half to lead the Bulls. Walker and Nembhard scored 10 points apiece for Indiana.
Mathurin made two free throws with 6:29 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 64 before Vucevic and Isaac Okoro sparked a 10-3 run with back-to-back 3-pointers.
Smith drilled a 3-pointer to close the third quarter and give the Bulls an 85-76 lead.
–Field Level Media
